"Faking It" by Hana Sellers

For today's post, we asked Woolly's Technical Director Hana Sellers to tell us a little about what was going on downstairs in the shop. Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis opens November 12, (Club Woolly night is November 17th), so the shop is in full swing getting everything ready. Over here to the right you'll see a picture of the model built by set designer, Dan Conway. The set model is an integral part of the process and helps the set designer and Technical Director communicate more clearly about the look and feel of the set. Most set models are done in 1/4 inch scale and often in black and white. This one is unique because it's larger, (1/2 inch scale) and in full color. Looking at it up close is just like looking into a child's dollhouse. It's a pretty amazing work of art in and of itself....but enough about the tiny wonder. Here's Technical Director, Hana Sellers talking about how they're going to make the "real" version of this and about why you might not want her to visit you at home:

"Tudor timbers, brickwork, wainscoting, and wallpaper, are all elements of a realistic interior. The set for Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis has all of these elements and more. At Woolly realism is fake. We work with some offbeat materials to build our fake “real” house. Our Tudor timbers look like 6 x 6 beams, but they are actually steel skeletons with a veneer board cover. Our brickwork is made from split thicknesses of Homosote. I have to admit, I do not even know how Homosote is used in the real world (I think it might be some sort of insulation). Our wainscoting is milled in the scene shop by our dedicated carpentry staff. And our wallpaper is fabric wrapped around theatrical flats.

It takes a good deal of research to make our fake set look real. I spend weeks pouring over books, the internet, and the architectural elements in my world to work out the details. I visit my friends and linger over the details of their stairways or the slope of their roof. My kid finds me measuring the windowsills at our house. I draft details over and over until they look as authentic as possible. And then I head out for the store to see how we can construct them.

At Woolly, though, there is always more than just realism. There’s “Woolly Magic”, the special effects work that we turn our attention to once our house is completed. The magic can be the hardest work that we do, but it is also the stuff that makes us smile!"

We're going to stop Hana here so she doesn't spoil the Woolly Magic for you in this show...you'll just have to check out that part for yourself.